The identification of the first human polyomavirus BK (BKV) has been over half century, The previous epidemiological and phylogenetic studies suggest that BKV prevailed and co-evolved with humans, leading to high seroprevalence all over the world. In general, BKV stays latent and symptomless reactivation in healthy individuals. BKV has been mainly interlinked with BKV-associated nephropathy (BKVAN) in kidney-transplant recipients and hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients (HSCTRs). However, the mechanisms underlying BKV latency and reactivation are not fully understood and lack of extensive debate. As Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) was identified as a pathogenic agent of malignant cutaneous cancer Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) since 2008, linking BKV to tumorigenesis of urologic tumors raised concerns in the scientific community. In this review, we mainly focus on advances of mechanisms of BKV latency and reactivation, and BKV-associated diseases or tumorigenesis with systematical review of formerly published papers following the PRISMA guidelines. The potential tumorigenesis of BKV in two major types of cancers, head and neck cancer and urologic cancer, was systematically updated and discussed in depth. Besides, BKV may also play an infectious role contributing to HIV-associated salivary gland disease (HIVSGD) presentation. As more evidence indicates the key role of BKV in potential tumorigenesis, it is important to pay more attention on its etiology and pathogenicity in vitro and in vivo.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the global, regional, and national burden of disease attributable to high-sodium diets from 1990 to 2021.Methods: Data on the global high-sodium diet-related disease burden were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 (GBD2021). A Bayesian age-period-cohort model (BAPC) was used to project trends from 2022 to 2040.Results: Between 1990 and 2021, both the age-standardized death rate (ASDR) and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rate (ASYR) attributable to high-sodium diets declined. The burden varied across Social Development Index (SDI) levels, regions, and countries, with Central Europe, East Asia, and Southeast Asia experiencing the highest burden. At the national level across 204 countries, the Republic of Bulgaria recorded the highest ASDR and ASYR, while the Islamic Republic of Pakistan experienced the most rapid increases in both ASDR and ASYR. Additionally, the ASDR and ASYR increased with age and were consistently higher in men than in women. The GBD2021 reported 8 diseases attributed to high-sodium diets, arranged in descending order of disease burden as follows: stroke, Ischemic heart disease, Hypertensive heart disease, Stomach cancer, Chronic kidney disease, Atrial fibrillation and flutter, Aortic aneurysm, Lower extremity peripheral arterial disease. The BAPC prediction results showed that the ASDR and ASYR of high-sodium diets would decrease by 23.28 and 19.46%, respectively, from 2022 to 2040.Conclusions: The global disease burden due to high-sodium diets has decreased over the past three decades, though disparities remain. Targeted investigations are urgently needed, particularly in high-burden regions, to further reduce the health impacts of excessive sodium intake.

Introduction: Pathogen spectrum of Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) has substantially changed in the past decade in China. Growing evidence has indicated that anti-COVID-19 nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) can support control of various infectious diseases, including intestinal diseases.Methods: In this study, HFMD cases were enrolled from sentinel hospitals of Nanchang, Jiangxi province, and enteroviruses were genotyped using specific real time RT-PCR. We systematically characterized the epidemiology of HFMD based on the continuous molecular surveillance and estimated the impact of COVID-19 intervention on HFMD incidence using seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models.Results: A total of 10247 HFMD cases were included during 2010-2022, of which 6121 enterovirus (EV)-positive cases (59.7%) were identified by real-time RT-PCR. Over 80% cases were associated with EV-A71 and coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) during 2010-2012, while the type distribution significantly changed as CVA6 emerged to be dominant, accounting for 22.6%-59.6% during 2013-2022. It was observed that the prevalence patterns of EV-A71 and CVA16 were similar and both of them peaked in the second quarter and then leveled off. However, CVA6 was generally prevalent around the fourth quarter, demonstrating a staggered prevalence during 2010-2019. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the seasonal HFMD epidemic peak was restrained, and the ARIMA analysis indicated that the COVID-19 intervention had mitigated EV transmission during the first COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. In addition, bivariate Spearman’s cross-correlation coefficients were estimated for the major types CVA6, CVA16 and EV-A71. Our analyses indicated the possible existence of correlations among CVA6, CVA16 and EV-A71 prevalence in the epidemiological level.Discussion: Taken together, the type distribution of HFMD has substantially changed over the last decade and CVA6 and CVA16 are currently the most predominant types co-circulating in Nanchang. The anti-COVID-19 NPIs significantly reduced the incidence of EV infections.

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile vector-borne infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi) and transmitted through the bite of infected chigger mite larvae. Transmission involves complex ecological interactions among vectors, hosts, and environmental factors. Accumulating evidence indicates complex interactions between the scrub typhus incidence and multilevel environmental determinants, encompassing meteorological factors (e.g., temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, sunshine duration, and atmospheric pressure), geographical conditions (e.g., topography, elevation, and landcover), and socioeconomic factors (e.g., economic level, cultural practices, residential conditions, and human behaviors). However, significant discrepancies persist among studies regarding the effect sizes and temporal associations, and the precise mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. This review synthesizes the evidence on environment–disease relationships, clarifies the methodological inconsistencies, analyzes the potential sources of heterogeneity, and highlights the critical knowledge gaps to inform targeted prevention and control strategies and guide future research priorities.